Professor Mantovani, what does your new position involve?
The President, together with the Vice-President and the Secretary General, coordinate the activities of this Conference; that is, first and foremost, they promote collaboration among the Pontifical Universities in Rome and represent them in meetings of international University Associations with the Vatican dicasteries, the Italian government and the European Union. In particular, they collaborate with the Congregation for Catholic Education and with the Holy See's Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in university academic institutions.
What might be the specific contribution of a Salesian in this role?
Attention to the world of youth is a crucial topic of our own university education. I think in this way we can offer a particular contribution to the reflection on the formation and identity of young people, and the tasks of the University in relation to young people. There is a new focus on the educational emergency at the present time when the youth situation is being studied by the Church, and the whole of society, and the next Synod of Bishops will be devoted to the topic of young people.
What are the main challenges at the helm of CRUPR?
Certainly there is the promotion of the formative role of the pontifical universities, cultivating the "new humanism" that requires a profound dialogue of disciplines, from theology to the humanities and social sciences. It is about the cultural contribution that the pontifical universities can offer.
Another topic to be followed with interest is the recognition of pontifical degrees in different countries, including Italy.
We must not forget the work of cooperation between universities, especially in view of the pursuit by each institution of its own specific purposes. In practice, we need to work to provide a more coordinated formation, in which each university shares its most characteristic contribution with the other pontifical universities, the Church, the world of culture and society, perhaps, where possible, avoiding doubling of effort and instead favouring integrated collaboration and in-depth research.
